


Flatlined

by Nico4undead



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, solangelo, solangeloangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25711540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nico4undead/pseuds/Nico4undead
Summary: "I want you to have the ring if anything ever happens to me. So you will have something to remember me by," Nico said, and Will immediately knew why he had made me swear. He had so many questions. What did he mean if something were to happen to him? He said it like it was guaranteed. Will felt helpless. Unable to ask, unable to help, only listen."I also wanted to thank you for being there for me, even though I didn't let you be," he said, but his voice was still devoid of any emotion. He looked Will in my eyes and sighed.Will thought he was going to explode. He wanted to reassure him, ask him, say something... but he couldn't. He looked at the pale boy's face, trying to figure out what he was talking about, but before he could, Nico had leaned in and kissed him.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Flatlined

**Author's Note:**

> Read at your own risk, I wrote this to get rid of some angsty thoughts.

Will sat in the meadow beneath Half-Blood hill on a cold spring morning. It had been a year since the Giant war. He still had flashbacks to the battle, Octavian killing himself, and him desperately trying to save countless lives in the infirmary. Will shuddered and looked over at the sun rising over Camp Half-blood. Suddenly, he saw a dark figure approaching him. He hoped it wasn't who he thought it was, he didn't think he could stand being near him.  
As Nico di Angelo came into full view, Will groaned quietly. He had tried many times to befriend the son of Hades, but he had just pushed him away, breaking his heart every time. Yet somehow, Will couldn't say no to him.  
"Hey Solace," said Nico, as he sat down next to him.  
***  
Nico walked up to where he knew Will would be. He was there, every morning, watching the sunrise. He was so solid, so dependable. Nico sighed. He walked up to Will, his legs getting heavier with every step. He had treated him poorly in the past, trying to protect him from himself, but now that he was seeing Will's face, probably for the last time, Nico knew he had to come clean, to make him understand. Nico didn't care if he would hate him anymore. Opinions didn't really matter in the underworld anyway.  
"Hey Solace," Nico said, sitting down next to him. Nico noticed that Will threw a few sideways glances at him, but he kept looking straight in front of himself. After a while, Will decided he would answer.  
"Hi," Will said, with resentment in his voice. Nico looked down at his hands, playing with his ring. He couldn't blame Will for wanting nothing to do with him. Will had helped him on multiple occasions, always been kind to him, never treated him differently, but Nico shut him out, for no apparent reason. If only he knew...  
Nico breathed in the fresh morning air and looked at the son of Apollo. His hair gleamed in the light of his father's chariot and his eyes seemed to reflect the color of the sky. He looked at Nico hesitantly, and for once, Nico willed himself not to looked away. He had come here to do something and he was going to do it.  
Will was searching Nico's face for any sign of emotion, but he had put his impenetrable defenses up. Quietly, Nico slipped his ring off, hesitated for a bit, and then grabbed Will's hand. Nico saw him shiver as he touched him. He had been told that his skin was very cold. Most people instantly pulled away, but Will did not, he just looked at him, confused.  
Nico slipped the ring into his hand and let go quickly.  
***  
As Will felt Nico grab his hand, shivers went up his spine, but it was more of a soothing feeling. Will knew Nico hated physical contact, so he looked up at him curiously, his anger draining away. Nico's face was still expressionless and even his eyes looked empty. It was chilling. Will wanted to help him, but he didn't know how.  
Suddenly, Will felt him slide something made of metal into his palm and pull his hand away quickly. Will's hand felt somehow incomplete without Nico's now, but he chose not to dwell on it too much, wanting to examine the little present.  
Will opened his hand to see Nico's skull ring. He looked up at him. He knew it was very important to him, but he had no idea why, and had even less of a clue on why he would give it to him. Will tried looking at him again, but he had turned to face forward again. Even though he was only sixteen, and quite short for his age, at that moment, he looked like a withered old man, waiting for Thanatos to take him away.  
Will started to open his mouth to ask a question, but Nico beat him to it.  
"I want you to keep it," he said, his voice as devoid of emotion as his face.  
"But-why?" Will asked, confused.  
He didn't answer the question, but instead, he looked Will in the eyes.  
"Swear on the river Styx," he said, his voice shaking a little, but his expression still hard as stone. Will had no idea what he was talking about. He leaned his head sideways, giving him a quizzical look.  
He looked uncomfortable.  
"Swear on the river Styx, that one- you will keep the ring, two- that you will never doubt my decisions, a three-" he paused for a little while, but then continued. "-you will let me finish without speaking and not follow me when I am done." The request was ridiculous, of course. How could Will agree to such terms?  
"Nico what are you talk-" he started, but Nico interrupted him.  
"Please," that's all he said, but there was a desperate look in the boy's eyes, and Will crumbled. He would do anything for him, anything. He shook my head in agreement.  
"I swear on the river of Styx."  
The sky rumbled, and for a split second, Nico looked relieved, until his face turned emotionless once more, like a statue of an angel.  
"I want you to have the ring if anything ever happens to me. So you will have something to remember me by," Nico said, and Will immediately knew why he had made me swear. He had so many questions. What did he mean if something were to happen to him? He said it like it was guaranteed. Will felt helpless. Unable to ask, unable to help, only listen.  
"I also wanted to thank you for being there for me, even though I didn't let you be," he said, but his voice was still devoid of any emotion. He looked Will in my eyes and sighed.  
Will thought he was going to explode. He wanted to reassure him, ask him, say something... but he couldn't. He looked at the pale boy's face, trying to figure out what he was talking about, but before he could, Nico had leaned in and kissed him.  
Will was so shocked. He had never kissed anyone before. He wondered if it was always this great. Will felt Nico tense up as he realized he wasn't reciprocating and knew he was about to pull away, so he grabbed the back of his head and leaned into the kiss, biting his lower lip. Will had dreamed of this moment for so long, yet he thought it would never happen.  
Will didn't want them to part, because he knew he wouldn't be able to express his feelings through words if they pulled apart. The kisses turned deep and passionate, as the sun slowly moved towards the horizon. They were so close that Will could hear Nico's heart pounding in his chest.  
Suddenly, he lightly pulled away and hung his head. He breathed heavily.  
"Wow," he said. Will looked at him with longing, knowing he still couldn't talk.  
Nico pushed himself away from him, blushing lightly.  
"I will wait for you, I'm sorry..." he muttered faintly. Will bearly heard the statement and had no idea what he meant. He wanted to scream. Being silent, especially after what had just happened was the worst.  
Suddenly, the son of Hades stood up, looked at Will for a moment, and walked away. Will was unable to follow him.  
***  
Nico's lips were still tingling as he left the son of Apollo sitting on the grass, walking back towards his cabin. He knew what he had done was selfish, but Nico doubted Will would ever understand. He belonged in the underworld, that's why the shadows pulled him towards them every time he shadow traveled. They were calling to him, telling him he was one of them.  
At first, he didn't believe it. 'I have friends,' he had told himself when everyone had cheered for him at the end of the war, but as time passed, people reverted to their old ways. The Roman's had stopped visiting, Reyna and Frank were busy with running Camp Jupiter, Percy and Annabeth had gone off to college and the rest of Camp Half-blood had started to treat him like an outcast once more. Of course, except for Will, but Nico didn't want to suck him into his misery, so he had pushed him away. As time went on, he began to feel like a ghost. No one really knew or cared how he was feeling and he had started to sink into the shadows once more.  
He was dead to them already, so he might as well just go to where he belonged, the Underworld, for good.  
As he reached the Hades cabin, he summoned a zombie skeleton, commanding it to follow him. He felt a bit light-headed, but entered the Hades cabin, standing in the middle of the room.  
Nico looked at his undead soldier. It looked so at peace. He hoped he would be like it in a few moments.  
"Kill me," Nico commanded in greek, a single tear running down his cheek, and as always, the soldier flawlessly followed his command. The soldier ran him through with his ghostly sword. Nico stiffled a screamed but used all of his energy to keep the undead at his side. The soldier watched him emotionlessly, as he writhed in pain, exhausted from using his powers in this state.  
A pool of blood was forming around him, and his eyes started to feel heavy. He tried to lift my arm, but couldn't. The zombie skeleton disappeared as he fell into infinite darkness.  
***  
It had been about an hour since Nico had left him sitting there in the grass, so Will figured he had kept my word. The entire time he sat on the ground, he was smiling. Their kiss had been the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him. Nico's lips were so soft and it was like they were made for him.  
At first, Will was worried about what Nico had said, and why he had given him the skull ring, but he figured he was just being mysterious as always. No one ever knew what he was going to do. The other campers said it freaked them out, but it just made Will want to know him more. Will walked past his own cabin, heading towards a smaller obsidian one at the end.  
Nico had said he would wait for him. Will had no idea what that meant and since Nico had presumably finished his statement, Will could ask him what it meant.  
He walked up to the door of Cabin 13 and knocked. No one answered so he decided he would go look for him in the arena. That's where he spent most of his time practicing with his sword anyway, but he wasn't there either.  
Will proceeded to look all around the camp, asking the other demigods, Chiron, and satyrs if they had seen the small son of Hades, but no one knew anything.  
Will groaned. He had probably gone off on one of his adventures again. He just hoped he wasn't using his powers. Though the raven-haired boy would not admit it, the Underworld and everything to do with it was bad for him, draining his life. Even if he was a son of Hades.  
Will walked through the woods, half-heartedly calling Nico's name, knowing that he probably wasn't there.  
"Hello?" he heard a soft voice coming from a bush. "Are you looking for Nico? Nico di Angelo?" the voice said as a pretty young girl materialized in front of him.  
"Hi, yes, have you seen him?" Will asked, looking at her hopefully.  
"I was walking on the edge of the forest this morning when I saw him entering his cabin with... well it was like a strange spirit. I can't really explain it." She said, looking at her bare green feet.  
Will started to fume. Nico was summoning his pet zombies again... Will thought he was over that.  
"Ughhhh that idiot," he said. "Well, I have a few things to say to that little... Anyway, thank you..."  
"Rose," the nymph said, waving her hand at her bush.  
"Yeah, thanks, Rose. Now I've got to go teach di Angelo a lesson," Will said, storming off, leaving her giggling.  
***  
Will knocked on the door of the Hades cabin furiously, his face red and breathing heavy. No answer.  
"NICO DI ANGELO I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE SO LET ME IN!" I yelled, causing a few people to look at him. No answer. Will started banging on the door like a maniac.  
"IF YOU DON'T COME OUT RIGHT NOW, I'M COMING IN. I HAVE THE AUTHORITY AS THE DOCTOR YOU KNOW! I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE YOUR POWERS AGAIN! YOU COULD FADE! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW STUPID YOU ARE BEING?!?! SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!" Will screamed at the top of his lungs. A few Aphrodite girls giggled as they passed by and the other campers stood in shock for a bit, but then continued with their usual daily schedules. Still no answer.  
"I'm coming in!" Will said and burst open the door. There was pure anger in his eyes until he spotted the son of Hades on the floor. (A/N: I'm sorry for what is about to come.)  
The blood drained from Will's face and he felt sick. His knees wobbled as he looked at the horrific scene in front of him. Nico was lying, curled up, and pale in a pool of his own blood, which was still lightly dripping from a deep wound in his abdomen. His skin was almost see-through and his eyes were lifeless, the spark behind them had disappeared. Yet somehow, he looked at peace.  
Will started to tremble and fell to his knees before him, brushing his blood-matted, silky hair out of his face, holding his body close to himself. He was like a rag doll. Will wanted to scream for help, but all that was able to escape his lips was an anguished sob as he held the Ghost King close to himself, silently crying.  
No one even cared to see if everything was okay. Will sobbed into Nico's lifeless chest, trying to use his healing powers, but it was no use. His skin was cold and his heart had stopped beating.  
Still sobbing hysterically, Will somehow found the strength to pick the boy's body up and carry him outside.  
As his lifeless body laid in his arms, Will walked to the Big House, covered in his blood. As Will approached, shaking all over, Chiron and Rachel turned towards him and gasped. Rachel ran towards him, helping him carry the eternally sleeping boy. She started to cry quietly as they approached a shocked Chiron.  
Will would never again hear his nervous laugh, see the fire behind his eyes in battle, feel his lips against his own, hear his heart beating in his chest, for Nico had entered the realm of Hades, and he was never coming back.

**Author's Note:**

> Huh... should I write a sequel, see what happens? ;-;


End file.
